WOODBURY — Nonnewaug High School’s brand-new barn has been nine years in the making. The junior/senior equine class’ first day in the barn was Sept. 5. The horses and students are adjusting to the new atmosphere. 

Many people wonder how this barn will benefit the students and the future of the barn. 

“We do hope it helps to grow that program as well and really puts us on the map,” said Nonnewaug principal Mykal Kuslis.

With such a big facility, will this barn really grow the equine program?

“The new barn will provide a great opportunity for advanced labs and hands-on learning that is based off of industry standards,” equine science teacher Marisa Bedron said.

Some students question if the indoor arena will really improve their learning. Bedron thinks it will.

“The students will be utilizing the indoor to complete hands-on labs while providing a safe environment for groups, especially during less ideal weather,” said Bedron.

Some of the equine science classes’ labs consist of breed labs, fingerprint labs, showmanship labs, and grooming labs. The equine students are excited to use the indoor facility to do these labs too. 

“I’m really excited to really get the horses up there and lunge and utilize the indoor arena,” said junior equine student, Claudia Tabak.

Region 14 superintendent Brian Murphy said he’s thrilled that the barn project is finally complete.

“[It’s] fabulous and fantastic,” Murphy said. “I’m so happy and proud that our kids are using this right now.”

What was the administration thinking when creating the barn’s blueprints?

“We wanted to fully implement the equine curriculum out of that building,” Kuslis said.

However, some students are question the current layout of the barn.

“I think the layout is not the best, the building planning could have been a little bit better, I’d definitely change up the tack room situation,” Tabak said. “You need somewhere to store the tack that you’re using that isn’t in the aisle so it doesn’t get damaged or damage a horse’s leg if it gets caught.”

Students also foresee a problem with not having a shed for the manure and shavings.

“I think it is going to take an extremely long time to clean stalls and get clean materials back in [the barn],” Tabak said. 

Kuslis says that administrators recognize these potential shortcomings and noted that the barn was planned to allow its growth.

“Foundationally, there is room for that building to grow,” Kuslis said. “We realize there might be more expansion with the riding ring in the back to better support that, so that’s our next step.”

Now that the school has a new barn, students are asking the question of what will happen to the old barn.

“The old barn will now be utilized for our livestock production courses and will be able to house the livestock animals,” adds Bedron. “This will, in turn, provide more opportunities for our students and more learning experience in our FFA program.” 

Students are very happy with this new addition to the Woodbury FFA program and are very excited to utilize this space. 

“Overall, I think the barn is a really nice addition,” states Tabak. “I think not just me but a lot of the student body is very grateful for what’s been given to them.”